Catcher for mail-pouches.



2 SHEETS-SHEET 1` 110.896,288. PATENTED AUG. 18, 1908. J. J. PLYNN. GATCHER PoR MAIL POUGHES. v APPLICATION FILED JUNE 45, 1908.

. PATBNTBD AUG. 18, 1908. J. J. FLYNN.

G ATGHBR Pon MAIL BOUCHES.

mums-SHEET 2.

APPLICATION FILED .JUNE 5, 190B.

Snowdon Wit" una UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. FLYNN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIAI CATCHER FOR 'MAIL-POUCI-ES.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. FLYNN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Catchers for Mail-Pouches, of which the following is a j specification.

and when running slowly the pouch is likely to be dropped through the crook of the arm. In consequence of this, postal regulations provide that mail clerks shall use their arms to prevent the rebound of the bag or its being drawn through the catcher. This is the cause of many injuries of various degrees of severity7 as the catcher strikes the mail bag with great force, the bag often wraps around the catcher, and the bag when wet and stretched up on the crane is extremely hard and stiff.

The objectof my invention is to obviate these difficulties by providing adjustable means whereby the pouch shall be locked in the crook of the catching arm, thereby doing away with the necessity of the mail clerk using his own arm to prevent the rebound or disengagement of the bag.

To this end my invention consists in the arrangement of parts and details of construction set forth in the specification and particularly referred to in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1, is a perspective view of a railway car with the pouch catcher applied thereto. Fig. 2, is a top view enlarged of a standard catcher provided with my locking spring. Fig. 3, is a fragmentary top view of the locking spring on the catcher, the sleeve being in section. Fig. 4, is a perspective view of the attaching end of the lock ing spring.

A designates a cross bar adapted to be rotatably mounted in the usual manner in the door way of a mail car by means of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led June 5, 1908.

v Patented Aug. 18, 1908.

Serial No. 436,769.

bearing a. On the bar A is an elastic pad B which receives the shock incident to the pouch striking the catcher.

C designates a sleeve surrounding the rod A and fast thereon having formed therewith the rearwardly projecting handle E and the outwardly projecting web D.

Formed with the web D is the hook shaped arm of the catcher having the rear loop or bend f and the outwardly extending gradually tapered arm F terminating in the outwardly and rearwardly bent end f. The pouch lock consists of a resilient flat blade G having at one end a laterally extending semicircular sleeve G', forming jaws adapted to fit over the tapered arm F and to be shifted therealong to properly adjust the locking spring in position. These edges of the sleeve are bent outward at an angle, thus providing parallel lugs g through which pass the clamping bolts I-I. In order that the forward edge of the sleeve shall not project inward from the arm F and form a shoulder with which the pouch will contact, I taper or thin the metal of the sleeve toward its end as at g, so

lthat the pouch may ride easily along the shank or arm F, sleeve G and the spring G. vIt will be seen that by means of the sleeve and the bolt-actuated jaws, the locking spring may be easily applied to any catcher hook and as easily adjusted'along the arm of the hook to its correct position, approximately that shown in the figures, this position being' such that the end of the spring G shall project across the opening of the hook just forward of-the entrance to the loop The operation of the device is evident. When the pouch strikes the spring G the spring will be forced inward against the arm F, thus forming an impediment to the entrance of the pouch, and the pouch will pass into the loop f. Immediately upon the pouch passing the end of the s ring, the spring will return to its origina position, that shown in the figures, and the pouch will be securely held within the loop or crook of the arm and cannot rebound out therefrom, be drop ed, or torn through the loop.

It will) be seen that I have provided a lock which may be easily applied to the standard pouch catcher as now in use, which perfects the operation of the catcher and takes away every chance of accident, and which may be either made as a separate article of manufacture, or formed with the hook in the beginning and sold therewith.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A mail-pouch catcher including a catching hook and a locking spring, said spring being adjustably attached to the forward end of the outwardly extending catcher hook, and when so adjusted extending inwardly and rearwardly across the opening of the hook.

2. Amail-pouch catcher including a catcher hook having an outwardly extending arm and a locking spring7 said locking spring adjustably attached to the catcher arm and adapted to be closed against the arm by contact with the pouch and to spring outwardly to hold the pouch-in place after the pouch has passed into the crook of said arm.

3. A mail-pouch catcher including a catching hook having an outwardly extending arm and a locking spring having at its end a l sleeve adapted to be adjustably clamped on said arm, said spring when adjusted extending inwardly and rearwardly from the end of said arm across the opening of the hook.

4. As an article of manufacture, a ouchcatcher lock comprising a sleeve aving means for attaching it to a pouch-catcher arm, and a resilient blade extending at an angle to said sleeve.

5. As an article of manufacture, a pouchcatcher lock comprising a semi-circular sleeve having outwardly extending lugs on its edges7 clamping bolts passing through said lugs, and a resilient blade extending at an angle to said sleeve, the front edge of said sleeve being tapered at its outer end.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this speciiication in the two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN J. FLYNN.

Witnesses Mi R. H. KREUKEL, FREDERIC B. WRIGHT.

presence of 

